2020 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MUSEUM OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

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2020 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MUSEUM OF THE

SECOND WORLD WAR

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TABLE

OF CONTENTS

9

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

81

CULTURAL EVENTS DEPARTMENT

41

COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT

103

SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE

61

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

137

TECHNICAL AND INVESTMENT DEPARTMENT

4

DIRECTOR’S INTRODUCTION

75

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

29

HONOURED EVENTS AND PROJECTS

95

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

53

EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT

117

VOLUNTEER WORK AND THE YOUTH COUNCIL OF THE MUSEUM

129

MUSEUM

OF WESTERPLATTE AND THE WAR OF 1939

15

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

89

FILM DOCUMENTATION DEPARTMENT

47

CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT

111

COMMUNICATIONS AND PROMOTIONS DEPARTMENT

71

LIBRARY

123

MARKETING AND

SALES DEPARTMENT

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director’s introduction wstęp dyrektora

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

2020 was exceptional for the activites of the Museum of the Second World War due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new situation prompted an alternative approach for our institution to the possibility of reaching our audience.

In connection with the restrictions introduced which resulted in the closing of the WWII Museum to visitors, it became essential to carry out our statutory mission – to tell about the most tragic conflict in the history of civili- zation – via the Internet.

Each day, beginning from the 16th of March, interesting materials on the Second World War – including arti- cles, virtual walks, films as well as various educational and cultural materials – were published on the Museum website and on its social media. Interest in these activ- ities carried out under #M2Wswirtualnie exceeded our expectations – there were over 35 million views of the materials we presented.

During the hard times of the pandemic we did not forget about supporting the local community – inculding the “Mask and Book” [Maska i książka] project in which 18,000 free sets consisting of a protective mask and the WWII Museum publication were distributed to Gdańsk adult residents. Additionally, through an agreement concluded between our institution and the Pomeranian region, we carried out the “Hotel for Medics” [Hotel dla Medyka] action, thanks to which medical staff working in the Pomeranian region were able to use rooms in the hotel part of the Museum free of charge. In addi- tion, our cooperation with the University Clinical Centre [Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK)] started – we allocated our underground car park for a drive-thru UCK COVID-19 testing centre.

Obviously, in periods during which we were able to welcome visitors, we organised exhibitions or cultural projects. We presented the exhibits within the “Entering History” [Wejście w historię] pro- ject, in which we organized celebrations connected with anniversa- ries (including the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of WWII, the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, the 102nd anniversary of the regaining independence by Poland), and we also initiated the new outdoor exhibitions (“Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk” [Polacy w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku] and “The Airmen”). In 2020, our Museum was vis- ited by 243,883 guests which in such a difficult period, fraught with the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, should be con- sidered a success.

The past year was also crucial in terms of the construction of the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939 – an outdoor museum, a kind of a national remembrance park, in which we intend to show our guests from all over the world that Westerplatte is the very place where the Second World War broke out. We are going to create a place focused around three symbols: the authenticity of the battle- field, Poles stances during the Second World War and the beginning of outbreak of the tragic conflict. The programme objectives were presented in the Jan Olszewski conference room in the presence of architects, scientists, experts in the field of museology, representatives of the army and journalists on August 25th. An important event was the organization by the WWII Museum of a competition for the development of the urban and architectural concept of the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte. According to a decision of the Selection Board of the Competition, the best concept was prepared by the NM Architekci studio from Warsaw, which, as the winner, will draw up the complete documentation enabling implementation of the investment. Thanks to the construction of the cemetery, we will have an opportunity to bury with all due respects

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director’s introduction director’s introduction

the Westerplatte defenders, including nine soldiers found by the Museum archaeologists in autumn 2019. Among those soldiers, there are the remains of five people who were identified in collaboration of the WWII Museum, Pomeranian Medical University [Pomorski Uniwersytet Medyczny (PUM)] in Szczecin and the Branch Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation [Oddziałowa Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu (KŚZpNP, Oddz.)]. The President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda handed the identification documents of the fallen soldiers to the families of the defenders during the morning celebrations on Westerplatte on September 1st 2020. On the same day, a scientific conference “The Fallen of Westerplatte. The Graves and Remains of Westerplatte Soldiers in the Light of Archaeological, Genetic and Historical Research and in the Context of Legal Procedures.” [Polegli na Westerplatte. Groby i szczątki wester- platczyków w świetle badań archeologicznych, genetycznych i historycznych oraz w kontekście procedur prawnych] was organized at the Museum. During the conference, based on archival materials and archaeological research, issues related to the identification of the remains, the exhumation process and the burial of the Westerplatte defenders were discussed.

As employees of the Museum of the Second World War, we still intend to carry out our honourable mission with passion and a professional approach and inspire other cultural institutions at home and abroad through modern solutions we have implemented. We are going to tell all about the Second World War not only in the Museum itself but anywhere possible, cherishing the memories of the Polish history and its heroes globally. An overview and the broad scope of the WWII Museum activities in 2020 can be seen in the following report.

I would like to thank the friends of our institution, donors, veterans of the strug- gles for independent Poland but also the guests visiting us. Thanks to you, the work in the Museum of the Second World War has become of exceptional importance.

I also express my gratitude to the whole staff of the Museum for their professional- ism and persistence in performing such an important task.

Respectfully yours, Karol Nawrocki, PhD

Director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

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ABOUT

THE MUSEUM

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about the museum about the museum

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

In order to optimize the work of the Museum of the Second World War and also in connection with new appearing challenges, Director, dr Karol Nawrocki, introduced by order No. 3/2020 of February 26th, 2020, the Organisational Regulations of the Museum of the Second World War establishing the new organisa- tional structure of the institution.

DIRECTOR

1ST DEPUTY

DIRECTOR 2ND DEPUTY

DIRECTOR Chief Accountant

Financial Department Director’s Office

Security Department IT Department Communications and Promotions Department International Relations Department Marketing and Sales Department Legal and Administration Department Exhibition Department

Film Documentation Department Library

Science Department Cultural Events Department Conservation Department Education Department

Collections Department Technical and Investment Department

Data Protection Officer

Director’s Representative for Institution Development

Independent Position for “House of the future” Project Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939 (Branch)

OHS Specialist, Independent Position Spokesperson

HR Independent Position

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about the museum about the museum

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MISSION

The mission of the Museum of the Second World War is to shap- ing the historical narrative of World War II, that will be presented in a modern way, from the perspective of the unique experi- ence of the Poles, taking into account both the big politics at the time, and above all, people’s attitudes towards the wartime realities and horrors of the occupation of Poland by two totalitarian regimes.

The narrative being created does not ignore the wartime fates of other nations involved in the largest armed conflict of the 20th century. Through our activities we aim to develop the aware- ness not only of Poles but also of our foreign guests. We are the only Museum in Europe which presents the course and the char- acter of the conflict in a comprehensive manner. Our mission is to tell about the victims of World War II but also its heroes, often forgotten and marginalized in history.

DIRECTORS

■ Karol Nawrocki, PhD – Director of the Museum of the Second World War

■ Grzegorz Berendt, PhD, Prof. of the University of Gdańsk – 1st Deputy Director

■ Tomasz Szturo , PhD – 2nd Deputy Director – until 2nd November 2020

■ Waldemar Szulc – 2nd Deputy Director – since 3rd August 2020 has replaced Tomasz Szturo, PhD; appointed to the position upon approval of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage on 2 September 2020.

EMPLOYEES

WWII Museum employed on average 132.26 persons in the period between January 1st and December 31st, 2020.

WWII Museum employment as of December 31st, 2020 was 130 people which translates into 125 full-time and part-time employment schemes.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The budget of the WWII Museum in 2020 was the sum of the funds allocated by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under a grant from the state budget, divided as follows:

■ 20,089,000 PLN – earmarked subsidy for current expenditure, including:

– protection, provision of access, digitalization and populari- zation of cultural goods and dissemination of knowledge on cultural heritage;

– collection, storage and research of cultural goods;

– restoration and conservation of sites and tangible cultural objects;

– maintenance of national remembrance places as well as graves and war cemeteries;

– commemoration of historical events.

■ 1,154,734 PLN – “Construction of the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939” [Budowa Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939] investment grant.

The budget of the WWII Museum also uses its own financial resources of the institution, of which 5,981,764 PLN was allocated to current expenditure and 265,706 PLN to investments.

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CALENDAR

OF EVENTS

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calendar of events calendar of events

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2020

13TH JANUARY

prolongation of “We will Accept your History” [Przyjmiemy Twoją his- torię] – the national collection of exhibits for 2020

21ST JANUARY

WWII Museum delegation at the El Alamein Military Museum in Egypt

22ND JANUARY

“Meeting History” – promotion of the album Krzywy obraz wojny. Armia Czerwona w Gdańsku i w Prusach w 1945 r. by Tomasz Gliniecki and Dmitriy Panto

1ST FEBRUARY

concert by the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis on the 100th anniversary of Poland's Wedding to the Sea

6TH FEBRUARY

meeting of the Board of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

7TH–14TH FEBRUARY

6th Week of Marriage -- lectures and screenings of the films

9TH FEBRUARY

“Cinemahistory” – screening of the film Memory is our homeland [Pamięć jest naszą ojczyzną], directed by Jonathan Durand

11TH FEBRUARY

inauguration of the ”Entering History”

cycle – presentation of a hand- made woollen scarf made by Lidia Gogolińska deported to Kazakhstan

12TH FEBRUARY

“Meeting History” – promotion of the book Deportacje Polaków i obywateli polskich do Kazachstanu w latach 1936–1941. Dokumenty ze zbiorów Archiwum Prezydenta Republiki Kazachstanu by Dmitriy Panto

12TH FEBRUARY

visit of the WWII Museum delegation to Wellington

12TH FEBRUARY

visit of James Whitham from the Canadian Museum of War

28TH FEBRUARY

“Entering History” – presentation of the uniform of the second lieutenant of the National Armed Forces, a soldier of the post-war anti-communism underground

1ST MARCH

celebrations of the Cursed Soldiers National Remembrance Day

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5TH MARCH

promotion of the periodical “War and Memory” [Wojna i Pamięć]. Publication of the WWII Museum in Gdańsk

5TH MARCH

visit of the President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson with his wife Eliza Jean Reid

10TH MARCH

inauguration of the cycle of prof. Marek Kornat lectures: “About the History of the Free City of Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment – “The Free City of Gdańsk: the Artificial Creation; the Origin and Structure”

[O historii Wolnego Miasta Gdańska na stulecie jego utworzenia – Wolne Miasto Gdańsk – twór sztuczny: geneza i struktura]

16TH MARCH

launching the #M2Wswirtualnie action

7TH APRIL

2nd lecture of prof. Marek Kornat from the “About the History of the Free City of Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment”

cycle – “Between Germany and Poland and in the Politics of the Western Powers (1920–1925)” [Między Niemcami a Polską i w polityce mocarstw zachodnich (1920–1925)]

16TH APRIL

inauguration of the “Mask and Book”

action

17TH APRIL

signing an agreement between the WWII Museum and Dariusz Drelich, Pomeranian region; provision of hotel rooms within the “Hotel for Medics”

[Hotel dla Medyka] action

8TH MAY

international online conference – “The Burden of Victory. The Second World War and its Consequences from the Perspective of 75 Years since the End of the War.” [Brzemię zwycięstwa.

II wojna światowa i jej skutki z pers- pektywy 75 lat od jej zakończenia]

12TH MAY

3rd lecture of prof. Marek Kornat from “About the History of the Free City of Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment”

cycle – “ Locarno and the German Hopes for the Peaceful Revision of the Treaty of Versailles and Gdańsk (1925–1930)” [Locarno i niemieckie nadzieje na pokojową rewizję traktatu wersalskiego a Gdańsk (1925–1930)]

13TH MAY

reopening of the Museum to visitors

25TH–26TH MAY

#ZniczDlaRotmistrza action

17TH JUNE

initiation of the competition for the members of the WWII Museum Youth Council [Młodzieżowa Rada Muzeum II Wojny Światowej w Gdańsku (MRM)]

24TH JUNE

inauguration of the competition for the vocal piece of music to the lyrics by Marian Hemar

24TH JUNE

state awards ceremony and the ceremony of the promotion for the next officer rank for Lieutenant Jan Kowalczys nom de guerre “Śmiały”

25H JUNE

“Meeting History” – discussion on the book Polska – niespełniony sojusznik Hitlera by Krzysztof Rak

9TH JULY

Bene Merito honorary award ceremony for dr Karol Nawrocki

15TH JULY

opening to visitors of the temporary exhibition “The Image of Treblinka Through the Eyes of Samuel Willenberg" [Obraz Treblinki w oczach Samuela Willenberga]

15TH JULY

selection of the winners of the musi- cal competition for vocal compositions made to accompany texts by Marian Hemar

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23RD JULY

donating an exhibit to the Museum – of potassium cyanide delivered by the Home Army to the family from Cracow who hid Jews during the war

24TH JULY

access to the Solidarity Corps Volunteer Card programme

28TH JULY

“Entering History” – presentation of the pilot jacket of Sergeant Stanisław Tołłoczko

1ST SEPTEMBER

celebrations at Westerplatte – identification documents of the fallen soldiers were handed to the families of the defenders by Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland and dr Karol Nawrocki, Director of the WWII Museum

30TH JULY

donating a replica of Lechia Lwów sports outfit to the Museum of Lechia Gdańsk

1ST AUGUST

celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising

3RD AUGUST

dr Janusz Janowski nominated for the WWII Museum Director’s Adviser

6TH AUGUST

meeting with gen. bryg. dr inż.

Sławomir Drumowicz, Commander of the Special Forces Unit

7TH AUGUST

press conference on the decision to allow the Museum of the Second World War to start preparatory work for the implementation of investments at Westerplatte

10TH AUGUST

press conference on the announcement by the WWII Museumof a competition for the development of the urban and architectural concept for the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte

11TH AUGUST

press conference on the organization of the celebrations for the 81st anniversary of the WWII outbreak on Westerplatte

15TH AUGUST

concert on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw

25TH AUGUST

solemn presentation of the programme objectives for the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939

25TH AUGUST

opening of the WWII Museum online shop

28TH AUGUST

“Entering History” – presentation of the fragments of Danuta Siedzikówna’s, nom de guerre “Inka,”

shoes

1ST SEPTEMBER

celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War

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1ST SEPTEMBER

premiere of WBMF.online Internet platform

1ST SEPTEMBER

promotional meeting for the second edition of Pierwsi w boju. Obrona Poczty Polskiej w Gdańsku, comic by Jacek Przybylski and Mariusz Wójtowicz-Podhorski

1ST SEPTEMBER

pre-premiere of Defenders [Obrońcy] documentary with the discussion around the film

4TH SEPTEMBER

meeting on the preparation of the agreement with por. dr Antoni Sołowiej Museum of Polish Army in Martin Coronado, Argentina

4TH SEPTEMBER

presentation of the exhibition

“Fighting and Suffering. Polish Citizens during World War II” [Walka i Cierpienie. Obywatele polscy pod- czas II wojny światowej] in the Ulma Family Museum of the Poles Saving Jews during World War II in Markowa

10TH SEPTEMBER

inauguration of “Pro Bono Poloniae”

competition for NGOs, choirs and music bands

10TH SEPTEMBER

visit of a delegation from the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century in Prague

17TH SEPTEMBER

concert of Luxtorpeda band commemorating Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki

21ST SEPTEMBER

jury session of “Pro Bono Poloniae”

competition

24TH SEPTEMBER

“Meeting History” – promotion of the book W cieniu obozu Stutthof:

martyrologia więźniów w gdańskim obozie Neufahrwasser (1939–1940) i Aussenstelle Westerplatte (1939–

1941). Wybór relacji i wspomnień by Wojciech Turek

26TH SEPTEMBER

ceremonial gala of awarding prizes in the first edition of the “Pro Bono Poloniae” competition and a concert of “Requiem” by Wolfgang A. Mozart

1ST SEPTEMBER

a scientific conference “The Fallen of Westerplatte. The Graves and Remains of Westerplatte Soldiers in the Light of Archaeological, Genetic and Historical Research and in the Context of Legal Procedures”

30TH SEPTEMBER

announcing the competition for the Youth Council of the Museum

1ST OCTOBER

establishing a flower meadow at the WWII Museum

2ND OCTOBER

appointment of dr Karol Nawrocki for

2ND OCTOBER

Kaszubski Gryf Pomorski Rocky Boxing Night gala

6TH OCTOBER

opening of the outdoor exhibition “Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk”

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6TH OCTOBER

4th lecture of prof. Marek Kornat from

“About the History of the Free City Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment” cycle – “Gdańsk in the Peak Phase of the Polish- German Tensions (1931–1934)” [Gdańsk w szczytowej fazie napięć polsko-niemieckich (1931–1934)]

13TH OCTOBER

5th lecture of prof. Marek Kornat from “About the History of the Free City Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment” cycle – “Fall of the League of Nations and the Polish Concept of Stabilization Scheme for Gdańsk.” [Upadek Ligi Narodów i polska koncepcja układu stabilizacyjnego w sprawie Gdańska (1935–1938)]

15TH OCTOBER

press conference on the verdict of the Regional Court in Gdańsk concerning changes introduced into the main exhibition of the WWII Museum

18TH OCTOBER

Concert "In tribute to Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk on the 100th anniversary of its establishment" [W hołdzie Polakom w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku w 100-lecie utworzenia]

20TH OCTOBER

opening of the COVID-19 drive-thru UCK test centre at the Museum underground car park

20TH OCTOBER

first meeting of the Youth Council of the Museum

22ND OCTOBER

awarding of three WWII Museum films by the international and national jury of the 15th edition of FilmAT Festival

19TH OCTOBER

distinction for the WWII Museum in the Museum Event of the Year Sybilla 2019 competition, in the

“Management” category for the

“Coordination of the Celebrations of the 80th Anniversary of the Outbreak of World War II”

20TH OCTOBER

Landscape Day in the WWII Museum

24TH OCTOBER

dr Karol Nawrocki awarded Radio Personality of Year 2019 by Radio Gdańsk

26TH OCTOBER

“Entering History” – presentation of the German map of Warsaw with the marked area of the ghetto

23TH OCTOBER

support for Wisła 2020 rally

2ND NOVEMBER

dr Karol Nawrocki appointed to the Programme Board of the Museum of Sochaczew Land and the Battle of Bzura River

2ND NOVEMBER

inauguration of the

#ZniczDlaBohatera action

4TH NOVEMBER

for the second time, free rooms provided for medical staff if the Pomeranian region

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14TH DECEMBER

opening of the Competition Jury session – the competition for the development of the urban and architectural concept of the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte

6TH DECEMBER

presentation of “The Airmen” – the outdoor exhibition

17TH NOVEMBER

last lecture of prof. Marek Kornat from “About the History of the Free City of Gdańsk on the 100th Anniversary of its Establishment”

cycle – “German Demands and Offers. Towards the War (1938–1939)”

[Niemieckie żądania i oferty. Na drodze do wojny (1938–1939)]

18TH NOVEMBER

“Digital Westerplatte” project awarded in “Eagle of Innovation”

competition of the Rzeczpospolita daily

5TH DECEMBER

International Volunteer Day

6TH DECEMBER

the second event of the “Blessed Polish Priests in the Free City of Gdańsk” cycle

9TH DECEMBER

“Entering History” – presentation of Jan Bianga’s boxing gloves

10TH DECEMBER

Jan Bianga Rocky Boxing Night gala

13TH DECEMBER

last event of the “Blessed Polish Priests in the Free City of Gdańsk”

cycle

21ST DECEMBER

announcement of the results of the competition for the development of the urban and architectural concept of the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte

15TH NOVEMBER

inauguration of a cycle of concerts accompanied by the lecture “Blessed Polish Priests in the Free City of Gdańsk” [Błogosławieni Kapłani polscy w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku]

11TH NOVEMBER

“Tribute to Independence” [W Hołdzie Niepodległości] concert

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HONOURED EVENTS AND

PROJECTS

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honoured events and projects honoured events and projects

MUSEUM AT THE TIME OF PANDEMIC

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions resulting from it (including the temporary closing of the Museum to visitors), a decision to publish daily materials, drawn up by the WWII Museum, onto the Internet was taken. As part of the #M2Wswirtualnie action, initiated on March 16th 2020, interesting arti- cles, virtual walks, online exhibitions as well as materials on education and culture with regards to World War II were uploaded onto our website and social media platforms. At the same time, visitors were encouraged to enter the ”Spoken History” [Historia mówiona] portal, on which the memories of people remembering the most tragic conflict in the history of humanity were subsequently published. In addition,

a number of thematic cycles were created, including

#PoznajWystawęGłówną, #PoznajWystawęCzasową,

#CzyWieszŻe, #WirtualnePorankizHistorią and

#ZajrzyjDoNaszejKsiążki. By the end of 2020, materi- als published as part of #M2WSwirtualnie were viewed over 35 million times .

The Museum also initiated the #M2Wsbezpiecznie action. Within its framework, it has included a number of activities aimed at, among other things, members of the local community and guests visiting the institution. These initiatives express support and care in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the activities constituting our social responsibility policy was the “Mask and Book”  action. As part of this project, 18,000 free kits consist- ing of a protective mask and a book published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were distributed among the adult residents of Gdańsk.

A big challenge was the preparation of the Museum for the reopening, which was arranged for May 13th 2020. Special measures were necessary in order to ensure safety of both guests and our employees per- forming their daily duties. New regulations on visit- ing the Museum buildings were presented at a special press conference on the day of the reopening of

the institution.

In addition, the project “Hotel for Medics”  was carried out, in which the Museum of the Second World War provided free-of-charge to medical staff working in the Pomeranian region accommodation located in the hotel part of the institution. The project, carried out under an agreement concluded between the Museum and the Pomeranian Regional administration, was an expression of support for medical staff, who are on the front line in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Another activity directly connected with the pandemic was allocating the Museum underground car park from October 2020, for the establishment of a COVID-19 drive-thru UCK test centre.

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CELEBRATIONS OF THE 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II – SEPTEMBER 1ST 2020

During the morning celebrations on Westerplatte on September 1st, 2020, the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda together with dr Karol Nawrocki, Director of the WWII Museum, handed identification documents of soldiers whose remains were unearthed during the 5th stage of the archaeological research carried out on the peninsula . In autumn 2019, archaeologists discovered nine skeletons of Westerplatte defend- ers from September 1939. Thanks to the cooperation between MSWW with the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin and the Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, the remains of five soldiers were identified: Corporal Adolf Petzelt, Corporal Bronisław Perucki, Corporal Jan Gębura, senior rifleman Władysław Okrasa and private Józef Kita.

On the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the WWII Museum organized a press confer- ence “The Fallen of Westerplatte. The Graves and Remains of Westerplatte Soldiers in the Light of Archaeological, Genetic and Historical Research and in the Context of Legal Procedures.”  The speakers raised in their lectures the issues related to the burials of the Westerplatte soldiers in the light of archaeological research and also the issues of identification of the remains and the exhumation process. The conference was organized under the honorary patronage of

the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the Institute of National Remembrance [Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (IPN)] in Gdańsk and PUM in Szczecin.

In addition, a premiere of the film Defenders took place in the WWII Museum. The documentary directed by Paweł Domański presents the tragic story of the soldiers of Westerplatte, killed and hidden in unmarked- graves right next to the place where they died during the German attack in September 1939. After 80 years, their remains were unearthed by archaeologists from the WWII Museum. The process of restoring the soldiers’

identities was initiated this way. A discussion around the film took place in th eJan Olszewski conference room before ascreening of the film.

The following event, organized by the WWII Museum on September 1st 2020, was the presentation of WBMF.online platform ceremonially launched by prof. Piotr Gliński, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The platform constitutes a virtual space which has become the hub of other museums and institutions – protectors of the battlefields from all over the world. Infographics and 3D  models of particular

battles, including Westerplatte in 1939, were published on the platform website.

A meeting promoting the second edition of Pierwsi w boju. Obrona Poczty Polskiej w Gdańsku, a comic by Jacek Przybylski and Mariusz Wójtowicz- -Podhorski took place at the Museum on the same day.

The publication depicts the heroic and tragic fates of the Poles opposing the German aggression in the Free City of Gdańsk and tells in a vivid way, the story of one of the first clashes of the Second World War – the defence of the Polish Post and Telegraph Office No. 1 in Gdańsk.

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CEREMONIAL PRESENTATION OF THE INVESTMENT PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES FOR THE MUSEUM OF WESTERPLATTE AND THE WAR OF 1939

The investment programme objectives for the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939  were presented in Jan Olszewski conference room at the WII Museum on August 25th, 2020. The audience comprised of experts in general science of museology, representatives of the army, architects, scientists and journalists.

During the speeches, the guests had an opportunity to learn about a planned new route for visitors, as well as plans to rebuild the destroyed buildings of the Military Transit Depot [Wojskowa Składnica Tranzytowa

(WST)]. Guests also learned that the buildings will have new functions housing future exhibitions and will be part of the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939 complex, as well as got to know about a competition for the concept and design of the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers in Westerplatte.

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The press conference on the announcement of the Competition for the urban and architectural concept of the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte  was held at the WWII Museum on August 10th. In the meeting with the journalists were:

■ prof. Piotr Gliński – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Culture and National Heritage, Chairman of the Public Benefit Committee,

■ dr Karol Nawrocki – Director of the Museum of the Second World War,

■ Dariusz Drelich – Pomeranian Region,

■ prof. Stanisław Radwański – long-standing Rector of the Higher State School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (Academy of Fine Arts), the member of the Competition Jury.

honoured events and projects

COMPETITION FOR THE URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT OF THE MILITARY CEMETERY OF THE POLISH ARMY SOLDIERS ON WESTERPLATTE

The aim of the competition was to select the best concept and design for the military cemetery of the Polish Army Soldiers on Westerplatte, which, appro- priate to the historical and cultural importance of this symbolic place as the location where the Second World War began, will commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Polish Army, while at the same time be the basis for preparation of all documentation needed to enable future investments to be carried out. The aim of the concept to be selected was defined as creation of the place of remembrance, social interaction, culture, patriotic and historic education and the space in which state, religious and military celebrations will take place.

The best works were selected by the competition jury, whose deliberations began on December

honoured events and projects

14th, 2020. 27 works were submitted to the compe- tition, which were first verified and then assessed.

The deliberations were chaired by Dr. hab. Eng. arch.

Bolesław Stelmach, prof. Of the Lodz University of Technology - director of the National Institute of Architecture and Town Planning . The advisory body for the competition was the competition jury.

The results of the competition were presented on December 21st, 2020 at the Museum of the Second World War. The winning work was by architects Tomasz Marciniewicz, Zuzanna Szpocińska, Jerzy Grochulski (the whole team of designers included:

Tomasz Marciniewicz, Zuzanna Szpocińska, Jerzy Grochulski, Karolina Kayzer). The team was invited to the negotiations on the development of the detailed project documentation enabling the investment in the mode of the public procurement without a need to call a public tender.

The competition was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Association of Polish Architects, Wybrzeże Branch.

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CONCERT ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF WARSAW

On the 100th anniversary of the great victory of the Polish Army in the Battle of Warsaw, on August 15th, 2020, the concert by the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis  under the direction of con- ductor Jan Łukaszewski , accompanied by Zuzanna Lisiecka-Madeja was held.

It was the joint undertaking of the WWII Museum, the National Centre for Culture in Warsaw and the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis. The pieces of music inevitably associated with Poland and Polish identity were performed. Sounds of Bogu rodzica, Śpiewka 1920, Rota and Wojenko, wojenko among oth- ers, but also compositions of Ignacy Paderewski and Krzesimir Dębski were performed on the stage.

“TRIBUTE TO INDEPENDENCE”

[W HOŁDZIE NIEPOD LEG

ŁOŚCI] CONCERT

The Museum, together with Dariusz Drelich, Pomeranian region, the “Independent” [Niepodległa] programme office and St. Bridget’s Parish in Gdańsk, commemo- rated the 102nd anniversary of the regaining independence by Poland with a concert .

During the event that took place in St. Bridget’s Parish in Gdańsk on November 11th, 2020, the art- ists performed well-known patriotic songs in new, unique arrangements. On the stage appeared: Halina Mlynkova , Zofia Tartas, the Music Everywhere Choir, the Discantus Chamber Choir, the Sea Orchestra, con- ducted by Sabrina Stachel, Małe TGD, Ewa Sarwińska- Kowalczyk – piano, Adam Tański – organs, Arkadiusz Krawiel – Vilnius dulcimer. In the concert, the audience could also listen to poems recited by Marcin Kwaśny.

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COLLECTIONS

DEPARTMENT

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The Department is responsible for the organization and management of the warehouses, including the supervision of the warehouse environment. It also conducts inquiries with regard to particular collections, provides access to the information on the collections and coor- dinates the process of photographs licensing. It also carries out the external inquiries. Th digitalization workshop, a part of the Collections Department, is involved in the creation and post-production of the digital images of the objects.

The employees of the Department take an active part in the inter-department projects, primarily in exhibitions and publications.

In 2020, most of the above tasks were carried out remotely. During the periods when the Museum was closed to visitors, staff at of the department carried out periodic checks on the state of preservation of the exhibits in the storage spaces and the exhibitions.

WEALTH OF COLLECTIONS

There have been already over 54,000 exhibits in the collections of the WWII Museum and their number is growing systematically.

collections department collections department

PURCHASES

The Collections Department purchased over 300 cultural goods. These included among other items:

■ Polish Non-Commissioned Officer sabre sword, 1921 pattern  – sabre sword with the blade dec- orated with the inscription “Nie rzucim ziemi, skąd nasz ród…,” manufactured in the Warsaw factory of Gabriel Borowski. The finishing details were proba- bly created in the twenties of the last century;

■ flag from Władysław Anders’ car from the time he served as the Commander-in-Chief;

in 1945 General Władysław Anders acted as the Commander-in-Chief for General Tadeusz Komorowski nom de guerre “Bór”;

■ Polish non-commissioned officer summer uni- form jacket, 36 pattern  – the jacket was a piece of the equipment of the 55th Poznań Infantry Regiment – the unit which during the Polish campaign of 1939 participated in the organization of the Great Poland [Wielkopolska] defence, the raid to Wschowa and next in the Battle on Bzura River. The jacket was introduced in the mid-thirties of the 20th century. It was the basic piece of the Polish Army equipment during the Polish campaign;

■ poster: ‘Lets us go forward together’ – the propa- ganda poster of the forties of the 20th century. It shows Winston Churchill with fighters and tanks in the background, mobilizing the British people to national unity in the face of the German threat.

The Collections Department deals with

all the issues connected with acquisition,

registration, content-related processing,

storing and provision of access to the

collections.

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45 44

collections department collections department

DONATIONS: “WE WILL ACCEPT YOUR HISTORY”

In 2020, the Museum received also 3,644 donations of which 1,319 were part of the national collection “We Will Accept Your History.” Despite limitations resulting from the present epidemiological situation, many unique objects have been collected. The following are the most important of them:

■ vials with potassium cyanide  delivered by the Home Army to the family of Pelagia and Adolf Bergiel-Opala who hid Jews at their place. The family residing in Cracow at 19 Batorego Str. gave shelter to their neighbours during World War II;

potassium cyanide was the agents of the cruel death the Bergiel-Opala family would have experienced if the fact of their hiding Jews had been discovered by the German occupation authorities.

Hidden – Julitta and Maria Odrzywolski emigrated to Canada after the war and throughout their entire adult life kept in touch with Irena Kopyto – the daughter of the spouses and, at the same time, the donor of the exhibits. Donation of Irena Kopyto;

■ collection of over 200 documents from Konzentrationslager Dachau archive  – owned by KL Dachau former prisoner Stanisław Kubalka.

The collection included, among others: letters of the camp prisoners, copies of the reports on the escapes from Auschwitz, the description of the Dachau evacuation of 1945, accounts by ex-prisoners as well as ample documentation of the activity of the Disciplinary Commission at the Polish Committee in Dachau. Donation of Wojciech Bielecki;

■ Second Lieutenant, Reserve Officer Ignacy Kmieć collection  – embraces the collection of the correspondence, photographs and notes in the copy books from the time of stay in the POW camps –XII A Hadamar and VII A Murnau camps.

Ignacy Kmieć, during the Polish campaign, served in the 2nd Company of „Jabłonowo” Battalion of the National Defence as the commander of machine gun platoon. After being taken captive he stayed in the above mentioned camps. While there, he kept diaries, in which he wrote the content of his letters to family, drew up biographical entries of the soldiers he got to know before the war and also took meticulous notes on distribution of the soldiers’ pay and the supplies from the camp canteen. From the collection of second-lieutenant Ignacy Kmieć;

■ Gunner Józef Woźniak collection  – collection consists of photographs and documents from the pre-war and WWII periods. During the Polish campaign, Józef Woźniak fought in the Kraków Army.

He was taken captive, but he escaped to come back near his home town Cracow. The Museum was given the photographs of Kraków Army units from September 1939 taken during a stay near Milówka.

Teresa Czogała donation.

Most donations were sent to the Museum by mail.

The collected exhibits will enrich the collection of the Museum and the most interesting and most valuable of them have the chance to appear in the temporary exhibitions at the institution.

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CONSERVATION

DEPARTMENT

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CONSERVATION OF THE OBJECTS

Due to the epidemic situation and temporary closing of the seat of the Museum, the organization of the work in the Conservation Department faced a lot of challenges.

Due to the need for remote working, activities of our staff focused more on preparation for research and documentation. Tasks carried out outside the site of the Museum, including many minor restoration works, whose degree of complexity allowed the work to be done from at home.

PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

The everyday activities of the Conservation

Department staff include constant supervision of the environmental conditions in the exhibition halls and storage spaces, periodic inspections of the state of preservation of objects and preparation of the necessary conservation opinions on the loan of exhibits to other museums and institutions. These activities are part of what is known as preventive maintenance. Moreover, in cooperation with the Collections Department, 954 objects made of organic materials - mainly of paper and leather - were prepared and transported for disinfection in a special fumigation chamber.

conservation department conservation department

lead fillings before the conservation lead fillings after the conservation

Over 400 metal exhibits obtained from the Wester- platte site by archaeologists were preserved in the folowing way.

A method of cleaning and maintenance of a large collection of lead seals  was developed, which consisted of:

■ preparation of the photographic and descriptive documentation on the preservation state of the exhibits before starting conservation activities;

■ initial cleaning of the items from loosely attached surface soil dirt with the use of manual tools;

■ cleaning treatment of particular items with the electrolytic method with the use of sodium hydrox- ide aqueous solution as an electrolyte;

■ cleaning stratified layers under a stream of running water with the help of the nylon bristle hair brushes;

■ cleaning in distilled water with the use of an ultra- sonic cleaner;

■ acetone bath and drying on paper towels;

■ final cleaning with the brushes of the proper shape and bristle hardness fixed to the dental micromotor;

■ rinsing objects in toluene;

■ applying 10% Paraloid B-44 solution in toluene as the coat protecting the objects against harmful environmental factors;

■ drawing up the descriptive and photographic conservation documentation after completion of the works.

In 2020, as in previous years, the duties of the staff

at the Conservation Department were mainly in the

fields of both preventive and active conservation of

the museum facilities and as well as the maintenance

and refitting of the maintenance workshop with new

equipment and machinery.

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conservation department conservation department

An interesting example of the conservation of an object of complex material structure was carried out in 2020. These were the works on the German radio direction finder , possessed by partisan units in the Vilnius region. Object in the state of destruction.

Damages caused by corrosion, frost stratification and surface carbonization of lime mortar. The radio direction finder was completely dipped in lime mortar which caused enhanced electrochemical corrosion.

Frost combined with wet lime was the cause for the burst of the case and internal capacitors’ housings.

Lime mortar after carbonization filled most of the space inside the device gluing its particular components and covering the bigger part of them with a hard, tight layer. Stainless steel screws fixing the front panel to the case were fractured. Works aimed at remedial conservation – preparing the object for exhibition and storage. Possible removal of dirt, corrosion layers and carbonized lime were assumed as well as corrosion stabilization and protection of the

object against further destruction. No fillings were accepted. The main aim was to prepare the exhibit for storage in the Museum environment.

After preparing the photographic documentation of the object preservation, the item was dismantled.

Surface dirt and loose lime removal were performed next. Chemical (surfactants) and mechanical (dusting, brushing, chiselling) methods were applied. Despite moisturizing with water and diluted solutions, lime was not fully removed. Because of the bad condition of ZnAl substrate, mineral layers were not completely removed.

Metal corrosion products from the case (box) and plastic components were removed mechanically: with the brushes and micro sandblaster. The anti-corrosion protection of the metal elements was carried out by the stabilization of the corrosion products with tannin; all the elements were coated with Paraloid B-44 and insu- lated with Cosmoloid H80 synthetic wax. The inventory numbers were inscribed and the post-completion conservation documentation was drawn up.

WORKSHOP ARRANGEMENT

In order to improve the conditions for the preparation of the conservation photographic documentation, one of the Museum rooms was adapted accordingly.

It was equipped with furniture and a copy stand table with lighting and the software for photo processing.

Thanks to this investment, the process for document- ing the state of the preservation of items at various stages of conservation work has been significantly improved.

German radio before the conservation German radio in the middle of the conservation German radio after the conservation

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EXHIBITIONS

DEPARTMENT

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OWN TEMPORARY COLLECTIONS

■ Preparation and presentation of “The Airmen,”  an outdoor exhibition, comprising unique portraits of the Polish Air Forces heroes by photographer Michał Solarski and the photographs of the pilots owned by the WWII Museum. The exhibition presents in an innovative and creative way the photographic project "The Airmen" by Michał Solarski, the aim of which was to include the largest possible number of Polish airmen who served during the war in the Polish Air Force in Great Britain. The exhibition has been on show in the square in front of the WWII Museum since 6th December 2020 and will be presented until June 2021.

exhibitions department exhibitions department

■ Presentation of the temporary exhibition “Fighting and Suffering. Polish citizens during World War II”  prepared by a team from the Museum of the Second World War in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. The exhibition was opened on September 1st, 2019 and will be on display until February 2022.

Exhibitions Department deals

with dissemination of knowledge on

World War II through the preparation and implemen- tation of the exhibition projects, in cooperation with other WWII Museum departments. The duties of the employees embrase also the maintenance of the main exhibition, including the supervision of its techni-

cal state, and renewing licenses for iconographic and

audiovisual materials.

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OWN EXHIBITIONS ON THE WWII MUSEUM WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

■ Collaboration with the Research Department as part of the

#KnowTheMainExhibition  cycle implemented by members of staff.

■ Preparation and the presentation of “10 April 2010” [10 kwiet- nia 2010], an exhibition commemorating the 10th anniversary of TU-154M President plane crash at Smoleńsk and paying tribute to 96 victims who lost their lives serving their country. The exhibition consisted of 18 boards with the photographs and biographical notes of the presidential couple – Maria and Lech Kaczyński and the victims of the catastrophe connected with the Pomeranian region: Anna Walentynowicz, Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, Maciej Płażyński, Arkadiusz Rybicki, Leszek Solski, Przemysław Gosiewski and Andrzej Karweta. The exhibition was available on the WWII Museum website since 10th April to 10th May 2020.

■ Making available the notice exhibition “The Fates of Policemen during World War II”  [Losy policjantów w czasie II wojny świa- towej]. The exhibition – devoted to the fate of the officers of the State Police of the Second Republic of Poland during the Second World War – consists of 12 information boards with texts sup- ported by photographs and other archival documents obtained from institutions, museums, archives, and private collections.

The exhibition was made available on June 2nd, 2020.

■ Presentation of the outdoor board exhibition titled “Be merciless!

Be brutal! Destruction of Poland is our first task; Aggression on Poland, 1939” [Bądźcie bez litości! Bądźcie brutalni! Zniszczenie Polski jest naszym pierwszym zadaniem – agresja na Polskę 1939].

The exhibition shows the situation of Poland and its citizens in the face of the German and Soviet aggression and about the beginning of the occupation. The exhibition was made available on June 16th, 2020.

PRESENTATION OF

TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS

■ The exhibition "Image of Treblinka through the Eyes of Samuel Willenberg" . [Obraz Treblinki w oczach Samuela Willenberga]. The sculptures showing the tragic fate of Treblinka German death camp were presented at the exhibition. The whole drama of humiliation of a human experienced by Samuel Willenberg was transformed into 15 bronze sculptures depicting human tragedy of which only death could become a liberation. Thanks to Ada Krystyna Willenberg – the widow of the artist and IPN that brought the sculptures from Israel and organized the nation exhibition, it was presented in the WWII Museum from 15th July to 16th August 2020.

LENDING OWN EXHIBITIONS

■ Loan of the exhibition ‘Yes, yes; no no. Zofia Kossak (Szczucka-Szatkowska)’ to the Institute of National Remembrance in Gdańsk. The exhibition is dedicated to a former prisoner of the Auschwitz- -Birkenau concentration camp and co-founder of secret organizations in occupied Poland. With its national-Catholic elements, Protest! is one of the best-known expressions of opposition to the Holocaust. The exhibition was shown in front of the IPN building in Gdańsk between April 1st to August 3rd, 2020.

■ Lending the outdoor board exhibition titled

“Be merciless! Be brutal! Destruction of Poland is our first task; Aggression on Poland, 1939” to the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland at the EU in Brussels, presented in the Church of Our Lady of the Chapel from September 13th to 24th 2020.

■ Presentation of the board exhibition “Fighting and suffering. Polish citizens during World War II” in the Ulma Family Museum of the Poles Saving Jews during World War II in Markowa from 3rd August to 28th September 2020.

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OTHER

■ Premiere of the virtual walk round “Heritage Lost”

[Dziedzictwo utracone] exhibition on the Museum website. The curators of the exhibition focus on the phenomenon of the destruction of heritage by occupiers, but also recall the rescue of heritage too - a process that is never ending, and whose protagonists, such as Karol Estreicher or Stanisław Lorentz, still provide inspiration to people to take care of our common heritage. The walk took place in April 2020.

■ Completion, together with the Science Department of the two-part virtual walk around the exhibition

“Fighting and Suffering. Polish Citizens during World War II” . The walk was made available on the WWII Museum You Tube channel.

■ Implementation of a mobile phone mobile appli- cation in the form of the audio guide to be used for visiting the WWII Museum main exhibition.

■ Implementation of two projects of the coopera- tion between the Museum and the licensed guides.

One of them consisted in preparing two original studies on the main and the temporary exhibitions

“Fighting and Suffering. Polish Citizens during World War II” in the form of a guided mini-walk.

Another project consisted in preparing the special collections of the Library in order to provide the access to them for interested users.

■ Adaptation of the multi-media devices at the WWII Museum main exhibition for the contactless use due to epidemiological risk.

■ Carrying out specialist cleaning of the

WWII Museum main exhibition embracing cleaning of scenography and display cases.

■ “Entering History” cycle organized jointly with the Collections Department.

■ Preparing two additional boards for the outdoor exhibition “Fighting and Suffering. Polish Citizens during World War II” which is planned to be opened in Langeland Museum in Denmark in 2021.

■ Repair and modernisation works at the

WWII Museum main exhibition. The works aimed at the exchange of degraded elements of scenography, elimination of the detected content-related errors discovered during the use of the exhibition and additional protection of the displayed exhibits.

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SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT

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CHANGES AT THE MAIN EXHIBITION

Similarly to last year, no big changes or additions were introduced to the main exhibition of the WWII Museum.

The only new element of the exhibition since February 2020 is an author's plaque, which lists the places of the changes and additions to the exhibition, as well as the names of the people responsible for its substantive preparation.

The 15th of October 2020, the Regional Court in Gdańsk, rendered a verdict on a case filed against the WWII Museum by the former management of the Museum requesting the removal of new elements of the exhibition introduced by the Exhibition Evaluation Team managed by dr Marek Szymaniak. The requests of the plaintiffs were in the vast majority dismissed.

The court accepted only one of 17 claims and ordered to stop screening of the film the Invincible [Niezwyciężeni]

but did not establish the need to return to the original version. The verdict is not legally binding.

The conference was accompanied by a few short films made by the Film Documentation Department and the Science Department and dedicated to the five identified Westerplatte defenders: Corporal Jan Gębura, Platoon Sergeant Adolf Petzelt, Corporal Bronisław Perucki, Senior Rifleman Władysław Okrasa and Legionary Józef Kita (fallen at the post in guard house No. 5 on 2 September 1939).

The representatives of the fallen soldiers’ families, including the relatives of the identified soldiers honoured the conference with their presence.

Pre-premiere screening of the film Defenders  by Paweł Domański and Marcin Majerski on the search, exhumation and the identification of the Westerplatte soldiers, took place in the Jan Olszewski conference room on the same day. The film was made in cooperation with the WWII Museum. It was preceded by a discussion led by dr Marek Szymaniak (WWII Museum) with the participation of dr Karol Nawrocki (Director of WWII Museum), prof. Bogusław Machaliński (Rector of PUM), Prosecutor Andrzej Pozorski (Director of IPN- KŚZpNP) and Paweł Domański (director of the film).

SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

The scientific conference organized by the Science Department: “The Fallen of Westerplatte. The Graves and Remains of Westerplatte Soldiers in the Light of Archaeological, Genetic and Historical Research and in the Context of Legal Procedures”  took place in the Jan Olszewski room in the WWII Museum on September 1st 2020. Four presentations were delivered on the burials and the remains of the Westerplatte defenders with a particular focus on the results of the latest research: historical (Wojciech Samól – WWII Museum), archaeological (Filip Kuczma – WWII Museum), genetic (dr hab. Andrzej Ossowski – Department of Forensic Genetics of PUM in Szczecin) and the legal procedures connected with the excavation of the remains of Westerplatte soldiers (Tomasz Jankowski, Prosecutor – KŚZpNP, Gdańsk Branch).

The conference under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and the partners in organizing the event were the IPN and PUM in Szczecin.

science department science department

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OUTDOOR EXHIBITION

“POLES IN THE FREE CITY OF GDAŃSK”

On the 6th October 2020, in the square in front of the WWII Museum, the outdoor exhibition “Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk,”  prepared by a team from the Science Department (Wojciech Grott, Wojciecha Samól, dr Marcin Kłodziński) and an employee of the Collections Department (Marek Zambrzycki). The exhibition focuses on the presentation of the fate of Polish minority in the Free City of Gdańsk, their cultivation of Polish traditions and preservation of their own identity in different dimensions, against the confrontation approach of the German majority.

SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS

IMPLEMENTED BY STAFF OF THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT IN 2020

■ Westerplatte – fights, Polish soldiers and defenders’ burials;

■ Polish Armed Forces in the West – France (1939–1940);

■ German death and concentration camps;

■ German and Soviet deportations of Polish citizens;

■ occupation of the eastern lands of the Second Polish Republic by the Soviet Union and the Third Reich;

■ propaganda press in the General Government.

science department science department

CYCLE OF LECTURES BY PROF. DR HAB. MAREK KORNAT “ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE FREE CITY OF GDAŃSK ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS ESTABLISHMENT”

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Free City of Gdańsk, the Science Department, on the initiative of the Director, dr Karol Nawrocki, organized a cycle of six lectures titled : “The Free City of Gdańsk: the Artificial Creation – the Origin and Structure” [Wolne Miasto Gdańsk: twór sztuczny – geneza i struktura] (10 March) ; “The Free City of Gdańsk between Germany and Poland and in the Policy of the Western Powers (1920–1925)” [Wolne Miasto Gdańsk między Niemcami a Polską i w polityce mocarstw zachodnich (1920–1925)] (7 April, online); “ Locarno and the German Hopes for the Peaceful Revision of the Treaty of Versailles and Gdańsk (1925–1930)”

[Locarno i niemieckie nadzieje na pokojową rewizję traktatu wersalskiego a Gdańsk (1925–1930)] (12 May, online); “Gdańsk in the Peak Phase of the Polish-German Tensions (1931–1934)” [Gdańsk w szczytowej fazie napięć polsko-niemieckich (1931–1934)] (9 October, online); “Fall of the League of Nations and the Polish Concept of the Stabilization Arrangement for Gdańsk” [Upadek Ligi Narodów i polska koncepcja układu stabilizacyjnego w sprawie Gdańska] (13 October, online); ”German Demands and Offers. Towards the War (1938–1939)” [Niemieckie żądania i oferty. Na drodze do wojny (1938–1939)]

(17 November, online).